What to Wear: For Family Pictures

I put the question of what today's post should be to my Facebook fans (PS, if you haven't joined yet, please do so here. It's fun, I promise. We discuss things like my hatred of Lady Gaga's clothes, and how I wore knee high boots the day after I gave birth. It's good times) Anyhow, the majority of people wanted to see a post about family pictures, with wedding wear and more Gaga following. Luckily, I'm planning to be around for a while. I also have some good posts coming up about wearing maxi dresses and trends without looking like an idiot. YAY!

Oh, family pictures. Remember how AWFUL they used to be? STORY TIME! My mom and her sister are very close, so we grew up with our cousins like siblings. Which is good because brothers I have (four of them! Any takers?) sisters I have not, and my cousin Kelly is the best stand-in sister ever. HOWEVER, when I was eight, my mom and aunt decided to do family pictures, and dressed me and Kelly, who is ten years older than me, in the same clothes. She was 18. We both were wearing floral dresses with giant collars.

Aaaaand I had a lazy eye.

OF COURSE my childhood lazy eye would kick in whenever pictures were taken, so after a long night of family picture taking, all of the takes looked like I was looking in the wrong direction. Oh how I wish I had a scanned copy of those pictures. There is still one hanging in my parent's living room. It mocks me.

My point is that the days of matching outfits is far over, and there is literally no excuse for dressing an 18 year old and an eight year old in the same clothes. Ever.

Remember this type of portrait gear?

Denim! And khaki! And white bread! And barefoot, natch. This is so boring. And I am NOT posting where to get these clothes. SHame on you. Although I will say that those fug capris are like $300. What is the world coming to?

When dressing your family for family pictures, you have to walk a fine line between "matching" and "coordinating". Are you following me? My general rule is to pick a palette of three colors with white and black being free colors. Got it? Then you have a general idea of the colors without jamming a theme down your photographer's throat.

Like so:

Items in this set:
Cable Knit Shawl Collar Cardigan, 125 GBP
3/4 Rib Cardigan - Teen Clothing by Wet Seal, $9.50
!iT Jeans Belle Stretch Jean, $74
BKE Tyler Jean, $73
Gap Loose fit whiskered dark jeans, $33

K, this is something I envision for a more conservative family. Here I chose gray, navy and pink as the palette, with white as the free color that didn't matter. Do you see how much more cohesive, yet not vomit-inducing something like this is? What's more, it won't make your husband hate you. He can thank me later. Preferably with money. I think these types of outfit would work best in a more natural, traditional type setting. Although I always think family pictures in the forest are weird. It's like "Oh hey, you just caught us hiking through the woods in matching denim shirts. Would you like to take a photo of us? I'll hang it on the wall."

Oh, also, heels are wonderful for family pics, k? They makes your legs look miles long and thinner. Flats are cute too, but it you're going for the max, do heels. And no sneakers for you, even if I do think they are adorable on men and boys. You're not going to the gym, thanks.

Now, if you are a little more of a sassy family, despite all of the people who tell you otherwise, you CAN do a print in a family picture. Most people feel safer with solids, but I feel like a spunkier family would be so cute in a few scattered print. The trick to doing prints in family pictures is to keep it very bold, very graphic and very simple. We are talking black and white here, people. Check it.

Items in this set:
BKE Emery Cove Polo, $33
Pleated Jabot Knit Top, $20
Microbe by Miss Grant Black Tutu Skirt Childrensalon, 41 GBP
Gap Loose fit whiskered dark jeans, $33
stripe full skirt, 25 GBP

So I utilized my favorite black, white and yellow palette. See how the only pattern is on the skirt? It makes it a graphic focal point without totally ruining the picture. This type of set-up would look gorgeous in a more urban setting. I'm thinking concrete, brick, wrought iron type stuff. The last family picture we had done with my brothers, we'd all agreed to wear solid shirts. My oldest brother SOMEHOW misunderstood it, and showed up in a printed shirt. It was Photoshopped out. If you're going to do prints, make sure they look ON PURPOSE by coordinating with the rest of the fam. Otherwise, your family will yell at you for a while and your photographer will charge you extra for touch ups.

Make sure that whatever you talk your family into wearing that it is comfortable and looks good. Before the shoot, lay all of your clothes out on the floor. If you notice something off, a shade that isn't right or something that stands out too much, you can replace it before getting 100 pricey prints. Also, it's a good idea to talk to your photographer beforehand to see what he or she prefers, and where the pics are going to be done.

Alright, deep breaths then everyone. Spring is upon us. It is time to frolic through the forest looking neat and cohesive and take pictures for posterity!